14 DAY TRIAL // One of the main distinctive qualities of water blocks, the type used for graphics cards, is that they are much thinner than air-based coolers, but the one that Alphacool has released just now doesn't have that trait.
Which is to say, it takes up two PCI Express slots instead, just like the reference solution composed of a heatsink and fan.
Alphacool must have decided that since the Radeon R9 280X video card from Advanced Micro Devices is a dual-slot model by default, it could go wild with the heatsink design (and it is a heatsink, not a radiator through which coolant flows).
Besides, it's not like having a super-thin water block would have helped much when the card has the two DVI ports one above the other.
That video output arrangement kills any chance of the R9 280X making do with a single expansion slot, so it would have made no sense for Alphacool to go out of its way in terms of compactness.
That “bigger is better” could only help that decision, since the more fin area exists for coolant to course through, the more effective the product is.
Alphacool tested its block on the Sapphire R9 280X, in case you were wondering, and the results were an operating temperature of 54 degrees Celsius / 129 degrees Fahrenheit on the GPU, and 76 degrees Celsius / 168 degrees Fahrenheit on the mosfets.
That was when the ambient temperature was of 30 degrees C / 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Alphacool also tested the product at 20 degrees C/ 68 degrees Fahrenheit room temperature, though the results weren't affected overmuch.
The test setup consisted of a CPU cooled with an Alphacool CPU block, the Radeon R9 280X with 280X Custom Coooler, an Alphacool 240 ST Radiator (30mm thick), and an Alphacool D5 Bay Res and Pump.
You won't be restricted to Alphacool exclusively though. Water cooling systems and components are made for intercompatibility, and the fittings, nozzles and pumps are usable from one brand to another. Well, usually.
Sadly, in its press release, Alphacool doesn't say if the 280X Custom water block has a very high flow design, so we're not sure if it works even with weak pumps. Since it's not even the final version, we still have to wait a bit.
Speaking of which, Alphacool's Radeon R9 280X Water Block will ship with black anodized heatsinks. So we suppose a case could be made that this isn't a water cooling solution, but a hybrid one (water block for GPU, heatsinks for everything else). A price could have probably hinted which it is, but none was revealed.